For Tomorrow We Die
by ChibiJaime
Summary: Pure and total angst, shounen ai, some violence. Everyone was supposed to be out of the village... but Bankotsu was still there, and Mukotsu's poisons are always fatal...


{/Author's Note: Oh, my god. This is the most shameless piece of angst I've written in quite a while. I am not ashamed of this! I am proud of it!  
  
I love being mean to characters. It's Bankotsu's turn! I was also abnormally nice to Renkotsu in this, which is strange for me. Ah well./}  
  
~=~For Tomorrow We Die~=~  
  
The village was quiet aside from the crying of very young children within the shambles of huts, those that had been missed in the previous carnage. Renkotsu let his eyes drift over them, all of his attention focused on making certain the other members of the Shichinin-tai were safely cleared out of the area.  
  
The raid had gone well... any stragglers were being dealt with by Jakotsu and, from what he could see, Bankotsu. Kyoukotsu was devouring some of the bodies off in the woods beyond, and Ginkotsu waited for his orders with Mukotsu. He had seen Suikotsu, calmed and cleaning his claws, as he had entered to check for survivors.  
  
As his eyes drifted over the houses, he saw none of his comrades. Finally deciding it was safe, he headed up the path leading out of the small town.  
  
At the top of the hill, Ginkotsu and Mukotsu waited. Mukotsu held a barrel in his hand, and he looked to the second-in-command for word. "Well, Renkotsu?"  
  
"The town is clear. Go ahead and release the toxins."  
  
Mukotsu nodded as Renkotsu walked past him, pulling his mask up over his face before unlatching the top of the barrel, releasing the deadly toxins within.  
  
*****  
  
"Why must people store things in underground places? It's so troublesome." Bankotsu pushed his hair out of his eyes as he stalked out from a door situated near the headman's house, leading out of a dug out basement of sorts. In one hand he carried two jugs of sake, fully intending on using them to celebrate later, lifting Banryuu with the other. "Ah well... at least the old fool had some taste."  
  
As he started back towards the edge of town, a familiar scent caught his attention. His back straightened and his eyes grew wide... Mukotsu's poison! He coughed softly, dropping the jugs in his panic to cover his mouth. Hadn't anyone seen him?!  
  
Instantly, he started to run, keeping Banryuu balanced on his shoulder. His vision started to blur, and he could hear the survivors in the houses choking as they died. Near the edge of town, his legs began to feel heavy beneath him, Banryuu a painful weight on his shoulder. The world was going black.  
  
*****  
  
Mukotsu sighed as he caught the sight of a figure trying to flee the village. If he kept releasing this toxin, the poor fool would be dead in a few minutes anyway. Then, he stopped... that sword could only belong to one person. The short man cursed, capping the barrel and shoving it with the empty ones in the pack before making his way quickly back down towards the village. That was Bankotsu. It couldn't have been anyone else.  
  
It did not take him as long as he had suspected to get to Bankotsu's side. Instantly, he reached to steady his companion. "Oo-aniki! How much did you breathe in?!"  
  
Bankotsu opened his mouth to say something, weaving unsteadily on his feet as his blurry eyes fell on his companion. Nothing came out. He stumbled, falling foreward as Banryuu fell with a heavy thud beside him. Once again, Mukotsu cursed, starting to pull Bankotsu as well as he could away from the lingering toxins in the air.  
  
"SUIKOTSU! I know you're over there! Cover your mouth with something and get over here! I need your help!"  
  
Only a moment or so passed before Suikotsu emerged from the nearby trees, a cloth tied over his mouth and nose. When his eyes fell on Bankotsu, a steady stream of curses instantly fell from his mouth. "Mukotsu, what happened to him?!"  
  
Mukotsu shook his head a little, the expression on his face dark, visible even past his cloth mask. "Renkotsu told me that no one was left in the village... I released the toxins without a second thought. I was out of my more powerful ones, that's the only thing keeping Bankotsu alive right now... had he inhaled any more, he would be dead right now."  
  
Nodding weakly, Suikotsu knelt to pick up Bankotsu. "I'll get Kyoukotsu to carry Banryuu. We have to get him back to the mansion... can you do something for him?"  
  
"There's an anti-toxin for it, but it will take me two and a half days to mix. We'll have to give him some sort of herb to slow the spread, and hope he doesn't die tomorrow."  
  
Suikotsu cursed under his breath, careful about how he cradled the form of the young man. "If he dies, I'm ripping out Renkotsu's lying black heart with my bare hands... just to let him watch as it stops beating!"  
  
Scoffing, Mukotsu headed to get Kyoukotsu. "If Jakotsu doesn't beat you to it."  
  
*****  
  
"Where in the world are those ingrates?" Renkotsu sighed as he pulled off the bandana he wore, running his hand back over his head. "Ah well... things are finished on my end. They can head back to the mansion on their own."  
  
Trudging up the path, Renkotsu spotted the form of Ginkotsu waiting patiently on the hill for him. He stepped up beside him, glancing at his companion as he retied the bandana back into place. "Where is everyone, Ginkotsu?"  
  
"Gesh. They headed back to the mansion, commander. Something bad happened, I think."  
  
Renkotsu raised a brow as he began to walk again, Ginkotsu following. "Something bad? Do you have any idea what?"  
  
The metallic man made a noise that could possibly signify vague thought, and after a moment, he nodded. "Yesh, yesh, I remember... Suikotsu was carrying Bankotsu no oo-aniki. He had been poisoned. He had not gotten clear of the town before the order was given."  
  
The finality of the statement stopped Renkotsu dead in his tracks, and for a moment, he stared at the ground ahead of him, panic ripping through him. Bankotsu hadn't gotten out in time... and Mukotsu's poisons were always deadly. "...Let's... let's get back, then. We haven't much time to waste."  
  
*****  
  
Renkotsu had no more stepped onto the grounds of the mansion when he was startled nearly half to death by the crack of released blades and the metallic clanging as the many blades of jakotsutou struck the ground mere inches to his right side, throwing up dirt and debris as it did. His eyes shot back to the porch of the building, where Jakotsu stood, recoiling his blade to its concealed position. His dark eyes were fixed on the larger man, and the expression on his face read of anger and grief beyond any possible apology.  
  
"You no-good, sorry, lying BASTARD!" Renkotsu could plainly hear the clicking of the blades as Jakotsu started to shake, his grip tightening on the hilt of the weapon. "You... you KNEW he was still there, didn't you?! You left him to die!"  
  
Instantly, Renkotsu took a step foreward, raising a clenched fist in his own defense. "What are you talking about? I checked the compound fully. I didn't see him! I had no idea Bankotsu no oo-aniki was still in the village!"  
  
Jakotsu raised his hand to snap out the whip-like chain of blades again. "Liar!"  
  
Before he could bring down jakotsutou for the blow, Suikotsu's hand grabbed his wrist, halting the further onslaught. "It won't do any good to be fighting him now, Jakotsu. We do have to hear his side of things."  
  
"Lies as they may be," Mukotsu muttered in continuation.  
  
"I agree with Suikotsu," Ginkotsu interrupted as he made his presence known, standing behind Renkotsu. "Bankotsu no oo-aniki would not want us fighting each other anyway."  
  
When Jakotsu did not drop jakotsutou, Suikotsu tightened his hold. "Drop it, Jakotsu. It's not worth it."  
  
After a few tense moments, the trick blade clattered from the effeminate man's hand, and he jerked his arm from his companion's grip. His eyes did not leave Renkotsu's, burning through the other man like hot irons. "Urusenai..." Quickly, he turned, tears threatening to spill as he stalked inside, not wanting to look at anyone. "If Bankotsu no oo-aniki dies... I'll have your neck!"  
  
Sighing, Suikotsu turned back to Renkotsu, walking towards him. "Right now, I'm calm enough to listen to your side. But rest assured, I'm walking the edge right now. If something happens or if anything you say implies you planned this, I'm very likely to snap and kill you myself."  
  
Renkotsu sighed, rubbing his face with his hands for a moment. "Oh, yes. Good to hear, Suikotsu." Another sigh. "VERY reassuring."  
  
*****  
  
Hours had passed by the point that Renkotsu began to pace back and forth across the room he was confined to. The others were keeping watch over Bankotsu... it was almost certain the boy would die.  
  
How in the world had this happened? He had been absolutely certain everyone was gone. Bankotsu had not been there. He should have been gone. Now, he was poisoned and dying. And that, in the end, meant HE was going to die.  
  
Shit.  
  
The man rubbed his hands over his face, fighting back the fear that had inevitably taken hold. Death loomed on the horizon both for Bankotsu and for him... and he hadn't even intended it this way.  
  
Sighing, he pressed both hands against the wall, leaning foreward as he let his head drop between his shoulders. Hopeless.  
  
*****  
  
"That'll dull the pain, at least... and, with any luck, it will keep the poison from spreading further. Beyond that, until I get the anti-toxin mixed..." Mukotsu shook his head, sitting back on his heels. "It's all up to Bankotsu's strength, as far as whether or not he makes it."  
  
Jakotsu didn't say a word, his hands tightening on Bankotsu's. The young leader was partially delerious, muttering and crying out, his head tossing back and forth. His hair was free of its braid, splayed beneath him, and his chest armor, gauntlets, shoulderguard, and shirt had been stripped. None of this interested Jakotsu. He lowered his head slightly, pressing the back of Bankotsu's hand to his cheek. "I'll kill him... I'll kill him for letting this happen to you..."  
  
Suikotsu shook his head, watching his comrade's actions with a cautious eye. "I told you, Jakotsu... after we talk to him. We can't determine anything until after we know his side of the story."  
  
Jakotsu barely managed to choke back a sob as he shot his gaze to Suikotsu, cheeks stained from tears already shed. "Don't you see him here, Suikotsu?! He had to have known Bankotsu was still there! He had to check EVERY room!" He quickly averted his gaze, face hidden behind his dark hair. "No... you know this had to be on purpose... what reason would he have not to do this?!"  
  
Sighing, Mukotsu got to his feet, heading for the door. "Suikotsu, come with me. I need your help to gather herbs for the anti-toxin. You can carry more than I can."  
  
"...But, Mukotsu..." Suikotsu's gaze had drifted back to Bankotsu and Jakotsu.  
  
Mukotsu just shook his head, motioning for the much taller man to follow him out the door. "Come along, now. There's nothing more we can do here."  
  
Once they were out in the hall, Mukotsu slid the door shut, leaving Jakotsu alone with Bankotsu.  
  
After they were gone, Jakotsu allowed himself to break down, leaning down to fold his arms on Bankotsu's chest, tears soaking the sleeves of his yukata. "Stupid! Why did it have to be you?!" He sobbed, clenching his fists. "I'll kill Renkotsu for doing this to you! I swear I will!" He lifted his head to a quiet sound, turning his eyes towards Bankotsu's face. "...aniki...?"  
  
"...don't... don't do that... crying... 's no good..." The strain from just forcing himself to talk was obvious on Bankotsu's face. "...be fine..."  
  
"Aniki, don't you dare! Stop forcing yourself! Just rest, okay?" Jakotsu scrubbed at his eyes with his sleeves, making sure to keep his attention on Bankotsu. "Just rest... Mukotsu will have you better in no time." He frowned, reaching up to brush the young man's bangs from his face. "If only Renkotsu hadn't..."  
  
Bankotsu shook his head weakly, a little smile crossing his face as he watched Jakotsu. "'s not... his fault..."  
  
"But, aniki..."  
  
"Don't worry... lived through... lived through worse... 'll make it... just... fine..."  
  
He had no more than gotten the last word out that his head rolled to the side, dark eyes falling closed as he slipped into unconsciousness. Jakotsu paniced, his hands clenching in the sleeves of his own yukata. "Aniki...? Aniki!!" He pressed his hand to Bankotsu's cheek again, fighting off another wave of tears. "...please... don't die..."  
  
*****  
  
The night passed as fitfully for the assembled group as for the young man sleeping under the influence of Mukotsu's poisons. Jakotsu hardly left Bankotsu's side at all, only to relieve himself and no more than that. Occasionally, Mukotsu or Suikotsu checked in, to see how the young man was doing, but for the most part, they were left alone.  
  
It was nearly dawn when Jakotsu, dozed off curled at Bankotsu's side, was startled awake by a short cry from the man beside him. Jerking into a sitting position, Jakotsu's eyes shot to the prone form, panicing when he saw the muscles of the slender frame pulled tight in a convulsion. He turned to the door, practically screaming as he called for help.  
  
"MUKOTSU! SUIKOTSU! QUICK, GET IN HERE!! IT'S BANKOTSU, SOMETHING'S WRONG!!"  
  
It took no time at all for Mukotsu and Suikotsu to come bursting through the door, Mukotsu with a bag full of various things that could be used to halt whatever was happening. When he saw Bankotsu's twisting and writhing form, however, his expression grew grim. "...I don't know how much there is I can do. He's seizuring... he may very well be dying." He knelt at Bankotsu's other side, digging through the sachel to find what he wanted. "Hold him down, Jakotsu. I may be able to save him yet. Oi, Suikotsu... could you--..." He stopped himself as he turned, finding his other companion missing from the room. "...Oh, hell..."  
  
*****  
  
There was no stopping Suikotsu by this point. His dark hair was standing completely on end, green markings standing out on his face. His claws were strapped to his hands, and he was headed straight for the room where Renkotsu was being kept.  
  
It was Renkotsu's misfortune that a noise nearby had distracted Kyoukotsu from his post, even further so when Suikotsu burst through the door. In less time than Renkotsu could imagine, the hulking man had him pinned to the wall, claws dangerously close to his jugular. "S--Suikotsu...?!"  
  
"Shut the hell up!" Those claws pressed ever-closer, not breaking skin, but Renkotsu could feel their sharpness against his throat. "Bankotsu no oo-aniki may be DEAD now! And just whose fault is THAT?! Huh, bastard?!"  
  
Renkotsu struggled a little, but stopped dead when he felt the tips of the claws pierce his flesh. "Suikotsu, calm down! I swear, I did NOT mean for this to happen!" He shifted uncomfortably, stomach churning wildly as he felt a trickle of blood running warm down his neck. "Why the hell WOULD I?!"  
  
Suikotsu growled in response, shoving his arm harshly against Renkotsu's chest, managing to get a cough from the other man. "You've resented him since you met him! Don't think I haven't noticed!"  
  
His rant did not get further. One arm went around him, pulling him back, managing quite well to pin his struggling form. "Gesh! Calm down, Suikotsu! Bankotsu no oo-aniki is fine now!" When the other man did not respond, Ginkotsu swung his head foreward, cracking Suikotsu in the back of the head with his metallic jaw replacement, successfully knocking the other man. "Are you okay, commander?"  
  
Renkotsu slumped against the wall, hand clutched over his bleeding throat. "The wound isn't deep. I'm fine. What the hell happened?"  
  
"Mukotsu says Bankotsu no oo-aniki almost died, but he is fine now." He paused as he carefully placed Suikotsu on the ground. "Yesh, well, alive anyway."  
  
Nodding, Renkotsu stood straight, trying to regain some of his shattered dignity. "...I'm all right, in any case. You might want to get Suikotsu a good distance away... I'll remain here. I have to try to convince everyone that I didn't mean for any of this to happen... I didn't mean for this at all."  
  
*****  
  
Halfway through the next day, Bankotsu's condition had not improved. He occasionally opened his eyes to look towards Jakotsu, allowing his cold hand to tighten around his companion's, but beyond that, nothing. Jakotsu felt he had no more tears to cry, staring in silent wait, his thumb massaging the back of Bankotsu's hand absently.  
  
"I wish you could hear me, aniki... I wish I could wake up from this nightmare. Then, we could be sitting on the porch, drinking sake and laughing over how silly I am... over how ridiculous it is that you could get hurt like this... and you'd sling your arm over my shoulder... call me an idiot... things'd be just the same..."  
  
The young man leaned down, resting his forehead against Bankotsu's, almost wishing the other would open his eyes and blush like he always did before. "You can't leave me like this. When we first started putting together the Shichinin-tai, you promised you'd never die on me like this... and now look at you, laying here, not moving..." He turned his head to the side, hardly even thinking as he gently kissed the other's cheek. "Wake up... please..."  
  
He got no reply.  
  
*****  
  
The hours only seemed to grow longer as everyone continued to wait. Bankotsu's condition only worsened, his breathing shallow and quiet, a sheen of sweat standing out against his slightly tanned skin. And still, Jakotsu stayed with him. Mukotsu was never far, directly in the room next to them, working as fast as he could on mixing the elixir that could mean life or death to Bankotsu... all depending on the time of its completion.  
  
Suikotsu was quite possibly the most tense, surpressing his lesser half's urge to kill, clenching and unclenching his fists where he sat outside of the room, waiting for some sort of word. He closed his eyes, almost unable to surpress those urges any longer when he heard the occasional quiet pleas from Jakotsu, through the crying and through the tears, asking in silence for Bankotsu to stay with him... to not leave.  
  
As the day wore on, and the completion of Mukotsu's anti-toxin came closer, things grew more and more grim.  
  
It was as Mukotsu finished the elixir that things went from bad to worse. The silence that had passed for a few hours suddenly broke by a cry of grief from Jakotsu. Mukotsu, carrying the finished potion, and Suikotsu entered the room as quickly as they heard it. Jakotsu was sobbing, holding Bankotsu to his chest, leaning foreward and begging... the word "please" was all that he would say.  
  
Mukotsu frowned, moving foreward a bit. "Jakotsu... what...?"  
  
"He..." Jakotsu started, but he choked on his own words. "He woke up... and all he said was goodbye..." Hunching over a little, Jakotsu held the limp form all that much closer. "He said goodbye... and then he..."  
  
Instantly, Suikotsu rushed over beside them, reaching to pull Jakotsu away just enough to press his hand against the side of Bankotsu's throat. "...Mukotsu... he's dead."  
  
The words just cause Jakotsu to cry that much harder as Mukotsu walked over to examine the damage himself. Frowning, he pointed to the futon. "Put him down, Jakotsu."  
  
"E--... eto..."  
  
"I said put him down. He's not dead... just very close to it... we still have a chance. Put him down and I'll give him the elixir." Reluctantly, Jakotsu laid Bankotsu down, his face a mask of panic. "Now open his mouth. I have to give this to him directly for it to work."  
  
Jakotsu nodded a bit, then did as he was told. Mukotsu said not another word... he just picked up the stirring stick, using it to give a bit to the prone leader. After Mukotsu's second instruction, Jakotsu closed Bankotsu's mouth, fingertips gently rubbing against his throat.  
  
Several moments passed and nothing changed. Then, slowly, Bankotsu's breath started to return, slowly at first, then faster. Dark blue eyes fluttered open and he opened his mouth to say something, choking on his own breath after a moment. Mukotsu made a slightly annoyed noise, setting the bowl down next to Jakotsu. "Give him some of this whenever his breathing starts to sound bad. Within a couple of days, he'll be back to normal. Bankotsu no oo-aniki... when you can speak properly again, I want to ask you what you remember about the incident. We still have the matter of Renkotsu left to deal with."  
  
Bankotsu didn't even respond. He just blinked with a rather puzzled stare at his comrade, not really sure of what was going on just yet. Then, his head dropped back against the cushion as he fell asleep.  
  
*****  
  
A day or so passed before Bankotsu was well enough to sit up and speak. Once he was, Renkotsu was almost instantly brought to him. The second-in-command didn't once lift his head to look at his commander, his attention focused elsewhere, anywhere but at his comrade's face. "...Renkotsu... I hear tell from everyone that you supposedly left me to die." When Renkotsu cringed, Bankotsu only smiled. "Don't look like that. I told them what happened... you couldn't have known I was in that cellar. I should've been more careful."  
  
Renkotsu blinked, surprised by Bankotsu's statement, looking back over at him. "...I will take any punishment required, oo-aniki. It was my negligence that put you in such danger."  
  
Bankotsu shook his head in reply, leaning back against the cushions he had piled up as a makeshift chair for himself. "There's no need for you to worry about any punishment. But this should be a lesson for all of us... to be more careful and watchful in the future." He glanced around at all of his friends, the family he had so carefully chosen for himself. "Am I understood?"  
  
Nods of agreement. They were dismissed almost immediately, but although most everyone left, one remained. Jakotsu sat silently next to him, staring at the floor, almost as if he did not know what to say. Bankotsu lifted a hand to reach towards him, only to find himself pushed back into the cushions, Jakotsu's arms around his neck, lips pressed rather forcefully to his. After a drawn-out moment, Jakotsu leaned back, staring him right in the eye. "I thought you promised to never die, and you went and scared me like that! If I didn't know better, I would think you wanted to scare me!"  
  
Bankotsu almost instantly blushed, raising a free hand to his lips in surprise. "Jakotsu..."  
  
"Do that again and I'll have to make your punishment much more severe." The dark-haired fighter smiled, flicking Bankotsu's bangs out of his face. "Got it?"  
  
After a moment, Bankotsu nodded, pulling Jakotsu foreward to lay on his chest. "I hate breaking promises. Besides... I never say anything I don't mean. And if I say I won't leave you, I mean it."  
  
Jakotsu smiled at that, closing his eyes as he allowed himself to relax. "I'm fine, then... just like this..."  
  
~=~End~=~ 


End file.
